‘Looking at him as India vice-captain’: Gavaskar picks Rohit's deputies after Kohli steps down as T20I captain
Gavaskar termed both Rahul and Pant as street-smart cricketer and picked them as India's future vice-captains after Rohit Sharma takes over as T20I captain at the completion of T20 World Cup.
Sunil Gavaskar identified KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant as the possible vice-captains for the Indian T20I side after Rohit Sharma takes over from Virat Kohli at the completion of the ICC T20 World Cup in UAE and Oman in October-November. Gavaskar, who had expressed his thoughts of seeing Rohit as the India for the ‘next two T20 World Cups’ in UAE and then in Australia, put his weight behind Punjab Kings skipper KL Rahul and Delhi Capitals captain Rishabh Pant to be Rohit's deputies.
“... And then, I'm looking at KL Rahul for vice-captain,” Gavaskar said in Star Sports' show ‘Cricket Connected’. “I would also keep Rishabh Pant in mind,” Gavaskar added.
Speaking about the reasons behind choosing Pant, the legendary cricketer said he was very impressed with the way the left-handed wicketkeeper-batter had handled the likes of Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje in the UAE leg of IPL 2021.
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“He has been really impressive in the way he has led a star-studded Delhi team and the bowling changes that he has been making in the T20 format, using Nortje and Rabada in such a clever manner that actually shows a street-smart captain,” Gavaskar said.
Pant, who was named DC captain for the IPL 2021 season after regular skipper Shreyas Iyer was injured, has led his team to eight wins in 11 matches so far.
Rahul, on the other hand, has not managed to change the luck for PBKS as far as results are concerned, but his performance with the bat at the top of the order has been one of the most notable factors in last two years of IPL.
Gavaskar termed both Rahul and Pant as street-smart cricketers.
"You always want a street-smart captain who can read situations and act immediately. So yes, Rahul and Pant are the two guys I would look at as vice-captains," he said.
The Indian white-ball team - the T20I to be specific - is confirmed to undergo some changes after Kohli announced that he won't continue as the shortest format skipper post the T20 World Cup. BCCI haven't yet made it official but it is all but confirmed that Rohit will take over from Kohli as India's T20I skipper.
"I think (of) Rohit Sharma (as captain) for the next two World Cups," Gavaskar said. "You could say they (World Cups) are back-to-back, one starting in a month and another exactly a year from now. So clearly, yes, you don't want to change too many captains at this particular stage.
"Rohit Sharma would definitely be my choice for captaincy of the Indian team for both these T20 World Cups," he added.
